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Dr. Pan Rudo
Dr. Pan Rudo is the fictional head of the World Health Organization in the 1980's of the Wild Card Novels. He was a prominent mastermind of the Card Sharks. History A longtime member of the Card Sharks conspiracy, Rudo was a doctor of psychiatry with a lucrative practice and offices in several major cities. A close friend of the van Renssaeler family, Rudo helped direct their wealth and influence towards the Sharks' ultimate goal, the eradication of the wild card virus and all its carriers. To Clara, the daughter of his friend Brandon van Renssaeler, he was Uncle Pan and helped educate and guide her into the field of virology. Rudo made an implacable enemy in Croyd Crenson, the ace mercenary known as the Sleeper, when he attempted to use Crenson's highly suggestible personality to kill him under the guise of curing him of his perpetual metamorphosis. Years later, after escaping from a prison for mentally unstable wild carders, Croyd finally tracked down Rudo and murdered him, leaving Gregg Hartmann to take the blame. Croyd could not know that the Card Sharks had used a tame jumper to place Rudo's mind in a new body, one far younger and more vital than his own, in an effort to prolong the lives of their oldest members. The man Croyd had murdered was an imposter left to maintain the Sharks' access to and control over the World Health Organization. Freed of any ties to his old life, Rudo continued his mission to purge the planet of wild carders. Invigorated by his youthful new body he unwittingly alienated his now grown pupil, Clara van Renssaeler, by kissing her. Worse, Clara's father had withdrawn his support for the Black Trump virus his daughter was close to perfecting, creating a rift between the more moderate Card Sharks and their hard line counterparts. Desperate to see his plans reach fruition and now on the run from the authorities, Rudo relocated to the Syrian desert with his portion of the imperfect Black Trump cultures. Protected by the Nur al-Allah and his men, Rudo tried to pick up where Clara had left off, though his training was not fully adequate to the task and completely unaware that his lab assistant was an ace sent to sabotage the project. The Nur's Syrian camp came under attack. In the chaos Rudo was once more nearly killed by the now joker-ish Croyd, but instead fell victim to the very virus he thought would bring about his ultimate victory. The Black Trump had mutated and become fatal to humans as well as wild carders. Rudo was one of its first victims. Appearance Rudo was originally an aging Caucasian male with dark hair and a hirsute Gallic appearance. After his jump into a new body courtesy of the Card Sharks, Rudo was young and athletic with blue eyes, strawberry blond hair, and almost angelic Aryan good looks. Personality Rudo is an incredibly well educated, well read, well dressed world traveler. He enjoys good food, fine wine, and everything else life has to offer. He is also a cold and calculating strategist capable of justifying the deaths of millions in his misguided effort to "save the world." Rudo often expressed a certain wistful regret for the crimes he must commit in the name of his mission, but they never stopped him from doing what he felt necessary. Trivia Selected Reading Category:Villains Category:Doctors